


Lost and Found

by rowofstars



Category: Once Upon a Time (TV)
Genre: Alternate Universe, Curse Breaking, Cursed Hyperion Heights (Once Upon a Time), F/M, Ficlet, Rumplestiltskin | Mr. Gold as Detective Weaver
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-08-14
Updated: 2019-08-14
Packaged: 2020-08-23 16:14:21
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,317
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/20245672
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/rowofstars/pseuds/rowofstars
Summary: A cursed Hyperion Heights, a different villain, and Rumplestiltskin as the Light One?





	Lost and Found

**Author's Note:**

> I don't know guys. This is a thing. I had a concept and I tried to make it work. Just imagine a completely different Enchanted Forest. For the Writer's Month prompt 14: fairytale.

Detective Weaver leaned forward onto the table, his hands folded in front of him.

“So what’s wrong this time, Tilly?” he asked. Across the interview room table sat Tilly, in her customary old green coat and flannel, backpack in her lap. “Why did you leave the halfway house and make me spend all morning looking for you?” 

Tilly smiled. “I found it Detective.” 

“Found what?”

She reached around and unzipped the front pocket of the pack before taking out something and setting it on the table between them. He frowned. It was a white teacup with a little blue flower on it, and a chip in the rim. Something buzzed in his ears and he shook his head, unable to take his eyes off the cup as he slowly leaned closer and closer, his hand sliding out across the metal table towards it.

There was something oddly familiar about it, something that felt like he was being drawn in. “What -” he mumbled. “What’s happening…?”

“It’s gonna be okay,” Tilly said, her smile widening. “It’s okay, it’s working.”

His fingers touched the cup and a white light flashed in his eyes, the buzz switching to a high pitched tone that made him squeeze his eyes shut. Pain stabbed at his temples and he fumbled the cup, knocking it over as he sat back in the chair, holding his head in his hands and groaning. Everything felt wrong and strange, from his clothes to his hair to the smell of the air around him. He grabbed at his chest, the leather under his palm familiar, yet not; too smooth and not thick enough.

A second later it all went away and Rumplestiltskin looked across the table at Alice, a smile slowly spreading over his face.

“Rumple Bumple?” Alice tilted her head, her eyes wide and hopeful as she got up and came around the side of the table. “Are you okay?”

He nodded, his eyes fixed on the cup for a long moment before he looked at Alice. “Hey.”

She grinned and reached for him, wrapping her arms around his neck in a tight, long overdue hug. “Hey yourself.” When she pulled back, there were tears in his eyes. “Don’t do that. It’s gonna be okay now. You’re awake.”

Turning back to the cup, he reached for it, pulling it to him and cradling it in both hands. It had been lost for years in the curse, just as his real persona had, but Alice’s odd mental state made her immune, just as he’d hoped. He stroked his thumb over the small chip, recalling exactly how and when it had occurred, as if it was yesterday.

_Belle._

He looked up at Alice with sudden, new awareness. “I have to wake her.”

Alice nodded as he pushed up off the chair, shoving the cup in the pocket of his leather jacket as he left the room. So much was stranger and different about this world, yet familiar too. He wasn’t sure how long they’d all been asleep, but somehow they’d all found each other. Even the curse couldn’t hold back the bonds of love and family.

Rumplestiltskin stopped at the front of the police station and looked around. Rogers - _Hook_ \- his enemy turned friend, was sitting at a desk, filling out paperwork. Across the room was Emma, badge on her hip and coffee in her hand, and he shook his head again. The conflict between his cursed memories and his real ones was giving him a headache, but he knew if he could find Belle, then it would be sorted. He just hoped that with everything that had happened under the curse, that she would still want to see him.

Fortune was on his side, as he stepped out into the street. Standing on the corner, waiting for the bus, was Lacey - Belle. He smiled and hurried towards her.

“What the fuck do you want?” she snapped, flicking her cigarette at the ground.

“Just trust me,” he said, holding his hands up as he slowed his pace and came closer. Looking at her now seemed strange. The tights and short skirts, the low tops and outrageous heels, it was such a far cry from her elegant dresses and fancy gowns.

Lacey was still made of all the parts of Belle that he loved, just fit together differently.

She gave him a suspicious look. “Why…?”

“Just...please?”

He stopped in front of her and took her face in his hands. She started to pull away, but he didn’t let her, pressing his lips firmly to hers and holding on as she tried to swing her fist at him. An angry sound came up from her throat, quickly replaced by something else. A light spread out around them, making him feel warm head to toe, and then it vanished with an almost musical sound. Immediately, her lips parted under his, her arms coming up around his neck as he deepened the kiss, pushing her back against the glass of the bus stop.

There was a whistle from somewhere behind him, and he broke the kiss, twisting around to see a few familiar faces coming towards them.

“Rumplestiltskin?” 

He turned back to Belle and saw her beaming up at him.

“You’re awake,” she said, her voice just a touch softer than Lacey’s. “You did it.”

He nodded and kissed her again before letting her go and turning to face the crowd that was slowly gathering. Several people began to smile as they recognized each other.

“Looks like your plan worked.”

Rumple laughed. “Yes, Your Highness, it did. Though it seems to have taken a bit - _longer_ \- than I thought.”

David slapped him on the shoulder, grinning. “The man who saved my life twice, doesn’t need to stand on titles. Right, Lady Belle?”

Belle nodded and leaned against Rumple, hugging his arm and refusing to let go of him now that they had found each other again.

“Thank you, Sir Rumplestiltskin.” 

The Prince held out his hand, and Rumple took it, letting David pull him into a hug. When they parted, it was Belle’s turn, and as the others came wandering out, looking around as if in a daze, they began to gather at the corner. It would take some time to locate everyone who had been transported to this strange city of Hyperion Heights in this even stranger Land Without Magic, and they didn’t have much time before the villain who had cast the curse noticed.

“Who the _hell_ is responsible for this?”

A familiar voice made Rumple turn around, and he barely bit back a laugh as Roni - err, Queen Regina - came down the sidewalk. Her gait and the way she held herself was the same as ever, haughty and confident, but her short wavy hair, skinny jeans, and tattoos were nowhere in the vincinty of her usual attire. 

She stopped with her hands on her hips and blazing anger in her eyes. “What _is_ this?” she asked, pulling out the edge of her t-shirt, emblazoned with flames and a thorny rose twisted around the barrel of a gun. “And where are my jewels?”

David snorted and shook his head. “All in due time, Your Majesty.”

Regina huffed and then fixed Rumple with a hard stare. “Okay, Light One, who did this to us?”

Rumplestiltskin smirked, all too happy to have perpetually down on her luck Roni replaced by the old, fiery Regina. “I’ll give you one guess. She’s a friend of your mother’s, and she’s quite the gardener.”

Regina’s eyes narrowed and her lips pulled back in a sneer as she spat out the name. “_Gothel._”

“Right in one.” He inclined his head towards her as his smirk spread into a grin. Then he looked around at the assembled group, princes and princesses, knights and soldiers. Now the real fight began. “Would anyone like to accompany me to Belfrey Developments’ office?”


End file.
